Weeding attachment for garden hoes



Filed Feb. 15, 1949 M y 23, 1950 P. o. SACKSTEDER 2,508,542

WEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR GARDEN HOES 2 Sheets-Sheet l PERRY o. SACKS'YI'EDER" Zhwentor (Ittotnegs Patented May 23, 1950 r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR GARDEN HOES 2 Claims.

My present invention relates to the general I art of garden tools, and more particularly to a weeding attachment for garden hoes. My attachment consists of a normally stamped metal unit, having a plurality of opposed teeth, one set of which teeth are disposed in alternately somewhat staggered relationship, so that they form a gripping element, which, together with a curvature formed in the longitudinal axis of the device, provides a very sure gripping arrangement which will hold my device'securely to the blade of the ordinary garden hoe.

Persons who tend gardens, and especially those who tend them as home owners, on a semi-amateur basis, usually are ever on the alert for garden tools that seemingly will serve their ever-changing needs, and as a result, quite often the orinary home owner finds himself possessed with so many garden implements that they become burdensome in use and storage for the same becomes a problem. It is to overcome this condition that I have provided my hoe attachment.

The ordinary garden hoe is practically an indispensable tool for tending gardens and it is probably the most universally adaptable tool. However, there are many times when it does not serve. One condition is where the ground may be packed quite hard, so that the wide edge of the blade of the ordinary hoe cannot be forced into the ground by any normal weight of strokes such as a person can maintain for any reasonable length of time. Under such conditions, my attachment provides an engaging surface that is only a fraction of that provided in the garden hoe, and then, as the lessened hardness of the ground permits deeper penetration, the cutting surface gradually increases until the full width of the hoe is available. Another condition under which my attachment has proved to be very helpful, is that of light weeding, where the weeds are attacked while they are still small. With my present attachment, as distinct from the usual hoe, the weeds can be more pulled out by roots, as though they were being raked up. An or dinary rake, however, does not achieve this purpose and I have found that by having a plurality of teeth, in which the adjacent triangular points come up to a meeting point just under the edge of the hoe proper, that an ideal instrument is provided for loosening the top soil and pulling the weeds out by roots and then collecting the weeds just pulled out, without accumulating a lot of the top soil, which is almost impossible to avoid with a conventional hoe.

The principal object of my present invention, therefore, is to provide a quickly attachableand detachable device, which can be secured to a conventional garden hoe and make it more readily adaptable to a variety of useful operations. 7

A further object of my invention is to provide an article of manufacture that can be struck out, with dies, from a sheet of steel of high quality material, without any wasting of material.

A further object of my invention is to provide an attachment for a garden hoe, which in effect creates a number of toothed elements of triangular form, so that the combined tool can be forced into firm or packed ground and the depth of the penetration is merely a function of the force applied and the firmness of the ground, as the cutting surface in efiect changes from a plurality of points to the full breadth of the hoe blade.

A further object of my invention is to provide an attachment having a plurality of oppositely disposed teeth which can be pointed to give a V entrance and which are so bent on the upper row, that they will form a secure clamp arrangement.

A further object of my invention is to provide a slipon attachment which will provide a secure engagement with the blades of a garden hoe, without the necessity of resorting to cumbersome clamps, bolts or pins to secure the same in place.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from the description and disclosure in the drawings, or may be comprehended or are inherent in the device.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the head of a garden hoe, showing my attachment secured in operative position on the same.

Figure 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale showing one end of my device and a hoe blade, fragmentarily illustrated.

Figure 3 is a face view 'of my attachment.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a portion of my device to illustrate the curve formed in the longitudinal axis of the device.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 3.-

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the plane embracing the line 'I--! of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 88 of Figure 3.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings. the numeral l0 generally desise.

spaced apart from each other, so that the apex.

of the cut-out portions, as and 2|, terminate at what is substantially the base offitheltriangles This formed by the teeth in the opposite side.

relationship is probably best illustrated in,

Figure 3. V

The lower row of teeth Mtis disposedzssube stantially in a single plane. This plane,, ho.w-

ever, is only flat when the device is in place upon the blade of the hoe, as 23. This relationship is shown; in Figure 6. Normally when the: device is made however; ithas been I found desirable tohave it curved; afterthe showing of FigureA, along --itslongitudinal axis: This provides for more secure gripping-of blade 23. Theupperrowor -teeth are-alternately olfset, as probably "best illustrated in Figure-5;- offsetis providedat 2 5 and -the upper portion'of the teeth; as 26-; are angularly disposed to lean in towards the plane of the alternate teeth-of the upper-row, which are in the same plane as the bodyof'attachment Ill and particularly the lower teeth H: The teeth as formed arepreferably beveled; as at 28;"s0 as to provide an-easierentrance into jthe ground for teeth l4, and similarly beveled" at. 30,;so as to more easily guide the hoeblade'23" into position when the deviceis appliedt'o theblade.

It will be noted, particularly inFigures Z-and 3-, that the end teeth of-the upper row, as 32 and '34,:are'given a narrower shapein' forming,- and are then bent inwardly attheir points to ward the center'of' the device; This provides a- 4 action over a relatively large area, because of the number of teeth employed; yet when properly made of relatively light stock, the weight of the attachment adds but very little to the overall weight of the hoe. Consequently, it is convenient to use. Experience has demonstrated that instead of the device tending to loosen from the hoe, any ch pp ct o by he u e n ly tends to seatlthe blade 23 further down into the seat, as noted in Figure 7; and because of this, it is practical to use the assembled device as a rake, or as a chopping or cutting implement andqnolongitudinal applied force will dislodge the-attachment, even though the same is not securedby the usual clamping means, such as screws, b'olts or clamps.

ofitembeemfound desirable to sharpen or bendothe sides of the lower teeth, especially when'deep cultivation is practiced in firm soil. This is illustrated at 3b in Figures 5 and 7 and the-cross-sectionalview, Figure 8l- 'Itis believed th'at itwill' be clearly apparent fromthe above description'and the disclosure in the drawings that the invention cemprehencls' anovel construction-of a, weeding attachment for'garden hoes: 7

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim:

1. 'An attachment for the cutting; edge ofagarden hoe, consisting of? atoothedmember formed of sheet" material; having a' plurality of downwardly extending, triangularly-shaped teeth; a plurality of upwardly extending teeth; disposed in staggered relationship to the-said downwardlyextendingiteeth'; a plurality of upwardlydisposed teeth, alternately spaced' from' each other and bent *attheir roots ,out'of' the plane of "the remaining upperteeth', and having their'upper ends disposedtoward the plane '91 the. undistorted" upwardly directed-"teeth; and

very narrow openingin each' case, as which 7 is distinct from the triangular openings as 36fand" 31: This provides a greater,pinchingreffect -at the extreme end-oftheattachmentyso as to hold the same very v securely in position and also provides that the tip of teeth 32" and 34, lie well withi the margins of thehoe blade 23; so that they-will notgcatch on plants or pick updebris.

' When it' becomes desirable to use" my attache ment, the conventional hoe,; having normally anelongated wooden handle; is grasped'by the blade 23 or the metal shank secured thereto; and the beveled edge 40- of the hoe-is entered in between the beveled edges 33; and the-inwardly bent'tinesor points 26, which'arefnorm'ally in-the position shown in'Figure 5. Then as the-blade 23j'is pressed down with the tips--28- on -some =i rin object, blade 23 is forced downwardly tosubstantially-the position shown ini-Figure; '7. This invites attentionto thedesirabilityof having tines 26 carefully formed -in-thei'r manufacture; so-that when blade- 23 is firmly inplace; it will be gripped by the teeth l2 throughout-their length.- When the blade is gripped fullythroughout the entire length engaged'imthegdevice, it will be tou-nd that a very securefrictional-locking occurs; and it will'be-found necessary nor! mally to use a screw driver or some instrument that a prying :efior-t -canbe applied to; in order, to dislodge the attachment? It-is-to be observed that whenthe att'achm'ent is?-fully "-in- -place,l

as-shown-in-Figure 1, it-is-secured by agrippingupwardly; disposed. teeth on each end'oi said device, having a smaller area than the balance of the teeth of the device and with their upper ends directed toward the minor axis ofthe' device:

'2." An" attachment for the cutting 'edgeof'a' gardenhoe; consisting of: a toothed member formed of sheet material havinga plurality" of downwardly extending, triangularly shaped.

teeth; a plurality of upwardly disposed teeth; disposed, in staggered relationship to theisaid downwardly extending teeth, alternately disposed:

n 0 9 p nes one in the plane of he o nwa dl extending teeth and the other set bentat their REFERENCES CIT-E3 he,, following-references areof record in the. file ofsthis patent: V

UNITED. STATES; PATENTS-I Number Name Date 4;89 A----l---- -V,--.- Mar. 7; 191.6 2 ,23.0, 778"' Andersen Apr. '28,: 19412 'FQRE GKN A'IFE Number Country Date? Switzerland Apr: 16,-=';1- 9e2 

